Project description:Voltage gated calcium channels play a central role in regulating the electrical and biochemical properties of neurons and muscle cells. Cells coordinate the expression of voltage gated calcium channels with the expression of other proteins that regulate membrane potential and calcium homeostasis. We report that the C-terminus of CaV 1.2, an L-type calcium channel (LTC) contains a C-terminal fragment that translocates to the nucleus and regulates transcription. This calcium channel associated transcription factor (CCAT) associates with transcriptional co-regulators such as p54nrb/NonO and binds to endogenous promoters. CCAT regulates the expression of gap junctions, sodium calcium exchangers, NMDA receptors, potassium channels and other proteins that regulate neuronal signaling. Electrical activity and developmental processes regulate the nuclear localization of CCAT, suggesting that the CCAT integrates information about the number of LTCs with information about the developmental history and electrical activity of a cell. These findings provide the first evidence that voltage gated calcium channels can directly activate transcription and suggest a novel mechanism linking voltage gated channels to the function and differentiation of excitable cells. Experiment Overall Design: The goal of these experiments was to identify the genes that are regulated by CCAT, a novel transcription factor derived from the C-terminus of CaV1.2. Neuro2A neuroblastoma cells were transfected with the last 503 AA of CaV1.2 which is full length CCAT (CCAT FL) or with the last 280 AA of CaV1.2, a form of CCAT that lacks the transcriptional activation domain (CCAT DTA). The mRNA from either CCAT FL or CCAT DTA expressing cells was hybridized to Agilent mouse genome microarrays along with mRNA from untransfected neuro2A cells (CCAT FL or DTA A series). Subsequent investigation revealed that transfection with the PA1 plasmid by itself increases the expression of some genes. To control for this effect we compared Neuro2A cells transfected with full length CCAT (in PA1) with Neuro2A cells transfectected with PA1 alone (CCAT FL B series). The microarray data was analyzed with the Rossetta Luminator gene expression data analysis system.

Project description:A growing body of research shows that epigenetic mechanisms are critically involved in normal and pathological aging. The Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 (SAMP8) can be considered an useful tool to better understand the dynamics of the global epigenetic landscape during the aging process since its phenotype is not fully explained by genetic factors. Here we investigated dysfunctional age-related transcriptional profiles and epigenetic programming enzymes in the hippocampus of 2- and 9-month-old SAMP8 female mice using the Senescent-Accelerated Resistant 1 (SAMR1) mouse strain as control. SAMP8 mice presented 1,062 genes dysregulated at 2 months of age, and 1,033 genes at 9 months, with 92 genes concurrently dysregulated at both ages in reference to age mated SAMR1. SAMP8 mice showed a significant decrease in global DNA methylation (5-mC) at 2 months while hydroxymethylation (5-hmC) levels were increased in SAMP8 mice at 2 and 9 months of age compared to SAMR1. These changes were accompanied by changes in the expression of several enzymes that regulate 5-mC and methylcytosine oxidation. Acetylated H3 and H4 histone levels were significantly diminished in SAMP8 mice at 2-month-old compared to SAMR1 and altered Histone DeACetylase (HDACs) profiles were detected in both young and old SAMP8 mice. We analyzed 84 different mouse miRNAs known to be altered in neurological diseases or involved in neuronal development. Compared with SAMR1, SAMP8 mice showed 28 and 17 miRNAs differentially expressed at 2 and 9 months of age, respectively, 6 of these miRNAs overlapped at both ages. We used several bioinformatic approaches to integrate our data in mRNA:miRNA regulatory networks and functional predictions for young and aged animals. In sum, our study reveals interplay between epigenetic mechanisms and gene networks that seems to be relevant for the progression towards a pathological aging and provides several potential markers and therapeutic candidates for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and age-related cognitive impairment.

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A transcriptomic study reveals beneficial effects of HsTX1[R14A] on the cognition of a mouse model of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease

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